Shloka 26
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
अस्ति नास्तीति चाप्येतत् तस्मिन्नसति लक्षणे । किमधिष्ठाय तद् ब्रूयाल्लोकयात्राविनिश्चवयम्,यदि आत्मा है या नहीं--यह संशय उपस्थित होनेपर अनुमानसे उसके अस्तित्वका साधन किया जाय तो इसके लिये कोई ऐसा ज्ञापक हेतु नहीं उपलब्ध होता, जो कहीं दोषयुक्त न होता हो; फिर किस अनुमानका आश्रय लेकर लोकव्यवहारका निश्चय किया जा सकता है
asti nāstīti cāpy etat tasminn asati lakṣaṇe | kim adhiṣṭhāya tad brūyāl lokayātrā-viniścayam ||
Bhīṣma said: When there is no defining mark by which it can be ascertained, even the claim “it exists” or “it does not exist” becomes groundless. On what basis, then, could one assert it and thereby arrive at a settled rule for the conduct of worldly life?
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights an epistemic caution: without a reliable lakṣaṇa (defining sign) or valid means of knowledge, asserting either existence or non-existence is unjustified; therefore one cannot ground a firm rule for practical life merely on such unsupported inference.
In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Bhīṣma addresses doubts about the self (ātman) and the limits of inference, questioning how one can decide worldly norms (lokayātrā) if the foundational claim lacks ascertainable marks.